Exhaust advice

[Kevin Standeven]

My plans are to get a full 3" turbo-back exhaust; that's with a 3" downpipe, 3" hi-flow cat, and 3" cat-back, along with a nice muffler and possibly a reverbrator to quiet it down (not sure how loud this type of system would be). Anyways, I for sure want to go custom, but I'm debating between Vic's custom exhaust, which quoted me a $400 max price, or L&R's system, which was quoted to me at $1100. I AM on a budget (part time, student), but I also want something that'll provide good gains and not fall apart. Any suggestions?

Oh, and I drive a 90 FWD Plymouth Laser RS/T.

[Richard Nazar]

$400 for a turbo-back sounds really cheap. I would assume this would be an aluminized press bent exhaust for that price. Lowell's exhaust is full stainless steel and mandrel bent. The difference is Lowell's will flow more and look like a million bucks. You'll get the best gains out of a mandrel bent exhaust and the last thing you'll have to worry about with stainless steel is your exhaust falling apart. Either way you go they'll both be significantly louder than your stock exhaust, but since you have a turbo, that muffles the exhaust sound a bit... so it won't be loud like a honda, but still loud. A resonator will help quiet things down a bit too.
I think you get what you pay for. Personally, I'd get the L&R exhaust.

[Damian Zerr]

If you come out to the Dec meet you can have a listen to my car, it's 3inch turbo-back, I can even give you a quick spin in it so you can see just how loud it is.

I don't find it to be that loud at all, more of a deep base tone to it.

[Kevin Standeven]

Hmmm, the L&R exhaust is sounding better and better all the time.
The $400 custom job would be 3" mandrel bent though, but I don't recall the material he'd be using.

Thanks for the offer Damian, hopefully I can make the meet. It would be my first, and it'd be nice to actually hear the exhaust before I buy it  

[Chao C. Yin]

Bite the bullet and get the L&R, the last exhaust you will ever need.

$400 3 inch turbo back=rusty, press-bent junk.  remember a non mandrel bent tube looses about 30% of the cross area at a major bent, choking down exhaust flow.

Here is a prime example of what happens if you cheap out on exhaust components

I had:

Mild Steel 2.5 inch mandrel bent DP
L&R 3 inch SS 3.0 cat back

2 years in Prince George of -30 winter/ice/snow/slush

Result??

My DP looks like an metal Antique recently uncovered from Titanic.  I had to re-weld to fix leak twice plus re-attach the broken the flex-sectiond twice (Yeah,,,like driving with a open header) because they rusted and snapped on me.

My L&R exhuast is still shiny and prestine until today.

Conclusion:  I now have L&R's SS Intake pipe, Inter cooler Pipe, 02 housing elliminator, 3 inch SS DP, SS Hi-Flow Cat.  They will out last my own ass.

[Anonymous]

Pay now...or pay later.

Obviously spring for the L&R version if you can afford it.  If you can't...just get a cat-back and work from there.

My "Buschur" dp is the ugliest thing on earth.  The welds looks like clumps of toothpaste, and entire thing is coated with rust since it's mild steel.  At least L&R uses the nice flex sections, not the crappy slinky one on my car.  That piece finally rusted through and I had a "cut-out" exhaust for awhile before I got it fixed.

[Kevin Standeven]

Congratulations, you've all sold me on the L&R exhaust
I was surprised to hear that about the Buschur DP; from what I had heard, I thought they were the epitomy of quality.
And I had no idea that L&R made IC piping, hard intake pipes, etc, although I suppose it only makes sense. Time to start saving up for a trip to L&R...

[Matthew Giene]

Time to start saving up for a trip to L&R...

And saving you should do.  As anyone that frequents L&R can attest to, Lowell has an uncanny ability to help you spend money.   :wink:

My girlfriend hates it when I go down there.  Even when it is just to visit, I find something that I want and must have.  But she sure likes to ride in the car...  

[Chao C. Yin]

Lowell will show you just how nice his work can be...and the rest is history :wink:

Before:



After:



This was before he opened his shop, so he did all this in his garage on his spare time.

[Travis Merrick]

I was surprised to hear that about the Buschur DP; from what I had heard, I thought they were the epitomy of quality.

Yes, that is a good tube if you were in the states, remember, BC has MUCH MORE harsh weather than california, our salts eat through the tubes if not SS!!

SAVE TO GO TO L&R when my 323 is sold, im going to L&R!

[Mike Schmid]

The L&R exhaust is the better buy.  Just a curiosity though, you sure that's mandrel bent from Vic's?  I'm from the Chilliwack area and when I was looking for exhaust work for my Camaro no one this side of Mopac in Surrey had a mandrel bender... Unless he's using pre-bent mandrel sections...?

I ended up going press bent mild 2.5" dual because I only needed the tailpipes made up and I'm not sure if I'll stay small block chevy and dual exhaust or go something like big block chevy or stroker small block with dual 3" or single 4" exhaust (Nitrous likes big exhaust and the car will probably become a bottle feeder within the next couple years).  Plus I only drive that car in sunny weather so corrosion isn't really an issue...

[Kevin Standeven]

Yeah, Vic's is for sure mandrel bent; from what he's told me, and also the  put a header-back 3" exhaust on my friend's GTI that was all mandrel bent. Not sure if he's using pre-made pieces or not though.

Wow, nice engine pic Chao...if there was a drooling emoticon, I'd use it.
An engine like that will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine...
just not for a while with my stupid part-time paychecks  :x